


Buy 1, Get 50% Off

by ayyyywhatsup



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, IM SORRY IF THIS IS OVERDONE, M/M, PHICHIT'S HAMSTERS - Freeform, Spoiler alert one of the hamsters are named Spotty McGee, characters are a bit ooc sorry, everyone lives in detroit, flower shop owner viktor, i need this ok, rated for yuri plisetsky's potty mouth, stereotypical sad backstory™, theyre both bumbling idiots, yuuri is a college student
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-01
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-09-13 07:21:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9112459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ayyyywhatsup/pseuds/ayyyywhatsup
Summary: Yuuri is just a 21 yr old college student who is trying to win at life. When he gets into an argument with his roommate, Phichit, he rushes out of the apartment to make amends. The only shop he can afford is a dainty flower store in the busy city of Detroit.Flower shop! AU





	

**Author's Note:**

> This has been bugging me bc just imagine it, Viktor owning a cute lil flower shop!
> 
> Sorry for any typos or spelling errors I wrote all of this on mobile. Also sorry if the flower meanings aren't accurate I literally took them off some website lol
> 
>  
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Running down the street, Yuuri curses under his breath as he attempts to make it to the bus stop on time. It was the fifth time this month that he woke up late for class. It's not like it was his fault though, frowning as he thinks about his new roommate.

His name was Phichit, a 17 year old who was _extremely_ smart. Sometimes Yuuri has to hold onto something just to keep himself upright whenever Phichit goes off on one of his ramblings. Phichit was nice enough, not to mention the only one trustworthy enough to share an apartment room with (someone he interviewed was seriously after world domination).

The only thing that bothered him was the boy's hamsters. He had three of them, in three separate cages, and they made so much _noise_. Yuuri liked to call himself a nocturnal being himself, but even he liked to sleep every now and then. But those hamsters, oh ho, those hamsters seem to have a personal vendetta against him or something. Every single night when Yuuri powers off his laptop in their studio apartment, the hamsters start spinning in their cages. It's like clockwork.

Yuuri would say something to Phichit, but he's more afraid of upsetting him than him getting angry. It's clear that Phichit loves his hamsters, and Yuuri gets it, so he keeps quiet. Although he's still sure Spotty McGee (who doesn't even _have_ spots) spins extra loud and extra quickly on purpose.

Luckily karma played to his favor today, as he jumps into the bus with a gasp. Spotty McGee is safe for today.

*

Yuuri sighs as he types up his presentation for tomorrow. If he knew getting an English Education degree required so many presentations, he'd have stuck with plain English (not really). It's currently 2 am, and Yuuri's on his tenth cup of tea. He feels caffeinated beyond belief, his hands shaking a bit as he adjusts the slides of his powerpoint. Yuuri hopes what he's typing isn't complete gibberish, he needs a good grade for this project, it being worth half his final grade. 

He chuckles at himself for getting into this mess, maybe he shouldn't have picked up that job in the dining halls. People always leave ridiculous amounts of food on their plates and never pick up after themselves. It's disgusting, but it's the only way he could pay for school and rent without taking out ridiculous amounts of loans.

As Yuuri finishes his assignment, he sets his alarm clock for 7 am, mentally groaning at the fact that his class is an 8 am. He's so tired he barely hears the wheels squeaking annoyingly in the distance.

*

When Yuuri wakes up, he notices two things. One, Phichit isn't sleeping in his bed across from him. Secondly, it's _way_ too bright for a fall morning in Detroit.

He scrambles off the bed, falling in the process. Grabbing his alarm clock he notices that the screen is blank. He fumbles for his phone, hissing through his teeth when it doesn't turn on. Yuuri must have forgotten to charge it. What he doesn't know is why his alarm died on him. It was fairly new, only a year old, and it didn't run on batteries. Did it get unplugged somehow? Yuuri checks the wire, and finds that it had been chewed clean through.

Yuuri is _done_. He would have accepted it if it was his own fault, but to learn that it was those noisy, squeaky, _hamsters_. Yuuri feels uncharacteristically angry. He stalks his way over to the cages, and notices that Spotty McGee's cage looks tampered with, making it unlockable. Of course it would be Spotty McGee, Yuuri thinks as he grits his teeth, that hamster's had it out for him the day they met.

"You," Yuuri glares at the hamster sleeping in his cage. He thinks it manages to look smug even in its sleep. "You don't know what you've even done do you? Do you know how much I need this grade? Of course you don't, because all you do is squeak around in that stupid running wheel of yours! God I just want to-"

"Yuuri?" Phichit asked as he entered their apartment, "Are you threatening a _hamster_?"

"Wha- well, I-of course not!" Yuuri started sweating nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Shouldn't you be at school? You're usually back an hour later."

"Oh, I woke up late."

"Oh no! Does that mean you missed that important presentation? Maybe your professor will let you present it late." Phichit's worry was starting to rub Yuuri the wrong way. Of course he knew it was important, he spent all of last night making it perfect, just to be ruined by a stupid hamster.

"Yes I know I missed it Phichit," Yuuri sighed in exasperation. "But it was because of _your_ hamster. It chewed through my alarm clock's wire.

"Oh! Yuuri I'm so sorry! I didn't know they could escape from their cages," Phichit apologized, looking genuinely distraught.

Yuuri didn't know what came over him, maybe it was how tired he was, but he felt his patience snap. "Well maybe you should pay more attention to your hamsters then. Do you know how loud they are? They make so much noise at night it drives me _crazy_. I've missed the bus five times because they've been so _annoying_."

Yuuri would have finished his rant, but the look on Phichit's face stopped him. He looked so crestfallen, and Yuuri felt like the world's biggest jerk. "Phichit, I'm sorry, I don't know what's gotten into me."

Phichit lifts up a hand, stopping him from saying more, "No, it's fine, it's just. If you were so annoyed you could've _told_ me." Phichit looks at Yuuri with a gaze that makes him feel even guiltier, "You could oil the wheels you know, make them less noisy, I guess I didn't notice because I've gotten so used to them."

Of course you can, Yuuri internally groans. He opens his mouth to spew out more apologies, but Phichit beats him to it, "I'm sorry Yuuri, I'll go buy some oil, I'll have those wheels oiled after my night class."

Yuuri can only watched flabbergasted as Phichit leaves silently, closing the door with a soft click. He rubs his hands through his hair as he exhales heavily, feeling terrible for what just happened. Yuuri almost wants to laugh at the situation. Of course their first roommate fight would have to be over something as silly as hamsters.

Whipping out the stationary set his mom had given him years ago (they finally came in handy), he starts writing an apology card. Deciding a measly card isn't enough to make up for his outburst, Yuuri powers up his laptop, and searches up nearby gift shops close to his apartment.

*

Running down the street, Yuuri maneuvers his way through herds of people, trying to get to the flower shop on time. All the gift shops he looked up were either too far away or out of his price range. Yuuri panicked, and resorted to zooming in on his location in Smoogle Maps, to see if there were any small shops he overlooked. To his luck, he found a flower shop 10 minutes away, under the name of Nikiforov's Florals. He didn't even think twice before grabbing his wallet and running out the door.

When he makes it to the small shop, he almost runs past it, almost falling flat on his face when he abruptly stops in front of the store. It looks like a typical flower shop, glass windows putting all the different flower arrangements on display. It is pretty small though, but the shop seems legit enough, and the flowers look lively and pretty. Yuuri crosses his fingers as he steps into the shop.

A bell tinkles as he opens the door, and a faint 'just a minute!' comes from what Yuuri assumes is the backroom. Looking around the store, Yuuri is even more stunned at the flowers inside of the store. Bursts of color and the aroma of fresh flowers invade his senses as he looks at the wide array of different plants and flowers. What looked like a lively store from the outside looks even more so inside, Yuuri swears he can see some of the flowers wave at him as he passes by. Whoever runs this place, Yuuri thinks, must be magical if they can manage to keep all these plants alive during the rapidly cooling fall. Hearing bustling coming from his left, he turns his head, and is greeted with an even more magical sight.

The man in front of him was slightly taller than him, and he had what looked like the _silkiest_ silver strands of hair. Yuuri didn't even want to start on his eyes. They were a shade of blue that Yuuri had never seen before, so bright they were practically sparkling.

"Hi!" the man (presumably the owner) speaks, shaking Yuuri out from his staring. "Are you looking for some flowers? We have a special today, buy one get half off." 

Yuuri mentally slaps himself for staring, remembering the reason why he's here in the first place. He struggles with what to say at first, he doesn't want to look bad in front of the shop owner, but he doesnt want to go home with the wrong flowers either. With his luck, Phichit would also happen to be a flower expert too. "I NEED FLOWERS THAT SAY 'I'M SORRY' PLEASE."

Yuuri mentally slaps himself again. What is with him and outbursts today? The man in front of him just blinks in amusement, lips curling up to form faint traces of a smile.

"Sure, is there anything you have in mind?" he gestures towards the flowers behind him, mirth still clear in his eyes.

His mind went blank, how was Yuuri supposed to know? "Um, something simple?"

The shop owner takes it all in stride, smile in full display now (Yuuri's heart kind of stops right then and there). "Ok! Not a problem," he waves his hand around flippantly as he strides towards the roses, Yuuri following close behind.

He gestures to the wide array of roses, "Can I ask who the flowers are for? It makes it easier when putting together these things."

"They're for a friend," Yuuri continues without prompting, "We got in a silly argument and I want to apologize."

Yuuri watches as slender hands pull out a yellow rose, what a yellow rose means, he doesn't really know.

As if he'd been reading his mind, the florist starts talking, "A yellow rose, for joy and friendship."

He twirls the rose in his hand, Yuuri wonders how he doesn't cut himself on the thorns. "Since you want something simple, how about 15 yellow roses? They're beautiful, but simple and straight to the point."

"Sure," Yuuri had no idea _numbers_ played a part in flower language too, "how much will this be?"

The man in front of him hums thoughtfully, "I'd say 50 dollars, more if you want them de-thorned."

Yuuri's mouth gapes open at the price. 50 dollars? For roses? His internal panic is interrupted by a tinkling laugh (one he wants to hear all the time).

"I'm sorry," the owner laughs again, Yuuri thinks he'd make a fool of himself all the time if that meant he'd get to hear that laugh. "I couldn't help myself, you just look so serious about this. Surely the argument isn't that bad if it's as silly as you say."

Yuuri watches as he grabs 14 more roses, setting them on the counter as the man pulls out a red ribbon. He thinks that the florist is just going to tie a ribbon around the whole bunch, but Yuuri watches in fascination as he ties bows around each indiviual one. Strangely, he keeps the thorns on, something Yuuri never saw any other flower shop do. Soon enough the arrangement is done, placed in a clear vase wrapped in another bow, which seems superfluous in Yuuri's opinion.

"That'll be 15 dollars," the owner said as he punched numbers into the register. "It was nice working with you," he finishes with a small smirk.

Ignoring the blush creeping up his neck Yuuri pays the man, grabs the decorative vase, and makes his way home. On his way home, Yuuri makes a mental note to get all future flower arrangements from Nikiforov's Florals.

*

Thankfully, Phichit accepts his apology, the yellow roses sit on their kitchen counter proudly as proof (surprise, surprise, he knew what the flowers meant). Also true to his word, Phichit oiled the wheels in his hamsters' cages. While they still made noise, it wasn't as overbearing as before. Yuuri even thinks that he sees Spotty McGee look up at him in approval. In the end, their argument ended up solidfying their bond as friends.

Unfortunately for Yuuri, that means Phichit is 100℅ more interested in his personal life, something he's not that fond of sharing. He doesn't know how, but the story of the flower shop Yuuri visited two days ago comes up in conversation, and Phichit hasn't let it go since.

"Do you like flower shop guy?" Phichit asks as he takes put his hamsters to play with.

Yuuri sighs, this is the fifth time he's asked this question, "Still not answering you Phichit."

Padding over to Phichit's bed, he climbs on, picking up Peachy Queen (his favorite hamster) in the process. "And would you stop calling him flower shop guy? He has a name, its..." Yuuri stops as he realizes he never asked for the guy's name. 

"It's?"

"Funny story, I never got his name," Yuuri flushes red in embarassment.

Phichit leaps up like a rocket, placing Spotty McGee and Tiny Tina down gently before he tackles Yuuri onto the bed. "You've got to go back and get his name Yuuri! Who knows? You might even fall in love."

Yuuri makes a face at the boy on top of him, frowning at the idea, "You watch too many romance movies Phichit, I'm not going to fall in love with a florist, what if he's actually twice my age?"

"That's why you ask him _questions_ , Yuuri, c'mon just try it, if you go I'll make you your favorite meal for a week," Phichit pleaded.

Yuuri takes a moment to contemplate the fact that a 17 year old is more interested in his love life than he is before he relents, Phichit letting out a victory cheer in response.

*

Yuuri finds himself standing outside the same flower shop a day later, wondering if he could just lie and tell Phichit he did it. He reasons that _someone's_ name is Nikiforov out there somewhere, no matter how unconventional of a first name it may be.

Eventually Yuuri steps in, partly due to the cold and partly because he didn't want to look like a creep. A familiar tinkling rings from the bell, but this time a young teenager steps out.

"Welcome to Nikiforov's Florals, how may I help you," the boy looks like he doesn't even want to be here. "We have a special today, buy one get fifty percent off any arrangement of your choosing."

"Oh um, I'm not here for flowers today," Yuuri manages to get out, a little intimidated by the teen's glare.

"Then what are you here for?" he barks out while crossing his arms, "If you're just here for the heating you're out of luck, we don't keep the heater on high temperatures."

"Actually I was looking for someone?" Yuuri stutters out. How is this boy so aggressive?"

The boy just glares at him even more, looking unimpressed, "Who would you look for in a flower shop? We're not exactly popular, unless you like looking for underage teens you pervert."

Yuuri's face pales at the accusation. "No, no! I'm not, you know what? I'm just going to go," Yuuri says the last bit as he's halfway out the door.

He thinks he hears the teen scoff out a whatever, but Yuuri is already halfway down the street, ears burning red not from the cold, but from embarrassment. How could he have even expected the same guy to be there? The more he thinks about it, the more ridiculous he feels. Looks like that's one shop Yuuri's never going to again.

When he gets home, Phichit is curious to know what happened, but doesn't push on the issue when he sees Yuuri retreat into his blankets. For that, Yuuri's grateful. He doesn't really feel like talking about how embarrassing that was.

*

Days go by in a blur and Yuuri feels the weight of school and work sink heavily onto his shoulders. He knows that he's slowly killing himself by picking up extra shifts at work. He barely even has time to eat these days. However it's the only thing that's keeping Yuuri from obsessing over the interaction he had at the flower shop a few days ago.

Yuuri knows it's silly to be overthinking this, but he can't help it. It feels like high school all over again, where he didn't have many friends. There was this one bully, who would always make weird accussations about him, like how he ate glue or something. Yuuri wasn't very good at sticking up for himself, always stammering on his words, or he would start crying before he could even speak. It was humiliating.

Now, as a freshly turned 21 year old, Yuuri thinks that he should've grown past letting harsh words affect him by now. He guesses that things haven't changed much, considering he still burrows into his blankets and overeats when he's feeling down. The only thing that's different now, Yuuri muses, is the fact that Phichit keeps trying to make Yuuri talk to him whenever he's going through something. As nice as it is, he decides that hiding his problems is a much better solution. Yuuri doesn't want to dump all his anxiety filled problems on some 17 year old, it isn't fair.

Yuuri should've guessed that Phichit would be persistent.

*

His first clue was when he went to clock in at the dining halls, only to be stopped by one of his coworkers telling him he asked for the day off. Yuuri would've fought to stay, not even remembering doing that, but he felt dead on his feet. So he just accepted it and trudged his way home.

His second clue was how a familiar aroma floated around their apartment. It smelled like katsudon, a dish he hadn't eaten since he started college. He saw Phichit whistling as he slid the scrambled egg on top of a steaming, freshly fried pork cutlet that was resting on top of a mound of rice. His mouth watered at the sight, rushing over to give Phichit his thanks as they began eating. It wasn't as good as his mom's, but it was a close second.

His third clue was when Phichit pulled out a movie, declaring that it was roommate bonding night. Since it was a Friday, Yuuri relented, settling on his bed as they watched the movie from Phichit's laptop.

His fourth and final clue was when Phichit brought his hamsters out. He knew that Phichit figured out his weakness for the hamsters, Yuuri slowly falling in love with them despite the rocky beginning. When Phichit handed him Peachy Queen (who was his favorite and had the softest caramel brown fur), Yuuri grew suspicious. Usually he was given Spotty McGee first, since Yuuri still doesn't trust the hamster. He let it go though, petting Peachy Queen's fur as the hamster flattened into a pancake. When Phichit opened his mouth, curiosity clear on his face, Yuuri knew his suspicions were right.

"So Yuuri," Phichit started carefully, "It's been a few days since you went back to the flower shop. How did it go?"

Yuuri almost wanted to ignore the question, or respond in anger to push Phichit away, but he didn't have the heart to do it. Not when Tiny Tina and Spotty McGee were perched on his shoulders, he looked so young in that moment, and Yuuri would never forgive himself if he upset his friend a second time.

"It went pretty badly," Yuuri answered, focused on rubbing soothing strokes on Peachy Queen's fur. "There was another employee I think, and he was pretty rude."

Yuuri saw Phichit frown from the corner of his eye. "Oh, what do you mean by rude?"

He didn't know how to answer that question, what if Phichit decided to side with the employee? "Um, he called me a pervert because I said I was looking for someone," he blurted out, it felt like ripping off a fresh bandaid.

Yuuri almost dropped the hamster he was holding when he felt a hand grip his shoulder. He looked up to see Phichit smiling gently at him, like a mother would to her son.

"That guy's a real jerk anyways. I know you're not a perv, and you know you're not a perv, so why is this bothering you so much?"

Yuuri gulped, feeling cornered by the question, "I don't know, I can't help it I guess."

Phichit only hummed in thought, leaving Yuuri wondering if he should say more. "I see, it happens. But you know you can talk to me anytime something bothers you right? I don't mind."

Yuuri only nodded, feeling a small weight fall off his shoulders, even if he knew that he was most likely not going to take up the boy's offer.

"Great!" Phichit chirped, "That means you're going to the flower shop tomorrow right?"

"What?" Yuuri spluttered as he dropped Peachy Queen on the bed, who only scuttled off to climb on Phichit's leg. "How did you come to that conclusion?"

"You can't let that rude employee stop you, who knows maybe they won't be there tomorrow," Phichit picked up Peachy Queen, letting the hamster rest on the top of his head. "C'mon please?"

Yuuri silently cursed to himself as he looked at his friend's pleading face, saying no would feel like kicking a small puppy. Or in his case, a small hamster (Yuuri swears the hamsters were pleading with him too). With a sigh, Yuuri gave in, Phichit cheering loudly.

*

Somehow Yuuri finds himself sitting outside a conviniently placed cafe across the street from the flower shop. The name looks down at him mockingly, as if it was making fun of him for being to chicken to step foot into the shop.

Yuuri plans on going in, he really does, it's just that he feels like enjoying a cup of badly brewed coffee. As if he could sense Yuuri's trepidation from miles away, his phone dings with a text, Phichit asking if he went inside yet. Responding with a quick 'yes', Yuuri crosses the street and pushes open the shop's door a bit too forcefully, bell swinging wildly as it makes his presence known.

Yuuri shrinks back in embarrassment when he sees the man he met the first time standing at the register, a small amused smile forming on his lips. He stands there for who knows how long, before the man finally speaks up.

"Hi again," he tilts his head slightly, silver fringe moving away from his eye as he does so. "Are you here for more flowers? Did your apology go ok?"

"Uhh, yeah," Yuuri answers stupidly, "How'd you remember me?"

The florist smiled, but it seemed a bit forced, "Most people just order arrangements through the phone, and we don't really get much traffic this time of year anyways."

Yuuri almost feels sad, it seems like a really lonely job. "Oh, I'm sorry."

The man perked up at this, a looser, more friendly smile gracing his presence. "Not to worry, my plants keep me enough company." He waved Yuuri off when he opened his mouth to say more. "Now what kind of flowers do you want?"

Sweat started to form on the bridge of his brow. Yuuri forgot about that part. "Oh, um, why don't you surprise me?"

Lifting a brow, the man in front of him looked at him with a gaze Yuuri couldn't pinpoint. His eyes followed the florist as he walked into the backroom, leaving Yuuri to stand there wondering if he accidentally offended him.

A few moments later, the flower shop owner comes out with an armful of flower pots, and Yuuri takes a moment to bask in their beauty.

"I've got some gardenias, orange roses, and some calla lilies" he puts each pot down as he names each flower. "Feel free to pick two kinds, that's the cheapest arrangement we have."

Curious about why he chose those specific flowers, Yuuri asks, "What do the flowers mean?"

He supposes that was the right question to ask, if the way the florist visibly perks up is any indication.

"Gardenias," he starts, "Mean beauty." Yuuri watches as the man gently runs his hands through the lilies. "Calla lilies mean 'you're lovely'," he looks at Yuuri with a lopsided smirk. "And orange roses mean 'fascination'."

Feeling his palms starting to sweat, Yuuri points at the last two flowers the florist mentioned. As soon as he does, he's bombarded with questions, how many he'd like of each, if he wants the roses dethorned, and if he'd like them right away. He gets half of each, and decides to bring them home right away. When Yuuri says he wants the roses dethorned, his curiosity is piqued as the man's smile falls slightly. He ignores it though, too focused on the hands that momentarily touch his when he hands Yuuri the vase of flowers.

When Yuuri gets back and places the flowers on their dining table, he curses out loud to Phichit's amusement. He forgot to get the flower shop owner's name, the reason why he was there in the first place.

*

Yuuri does _not_ go back to the flower shop the next day. Nope, he's not even tempted, he thinks as he sips on a cup of coffee (that he doesn't even like) from the cafe across the street.

Except, he _is_ and that's the problem. Yuuri can't go two days in a row, he'd look like an even bigger fool. And what if that mean employee is there? Yuuri doesn't know if he could stomach another interaction like that.

Eventually Yuuri manages to drink the rest of his coffee, and with a small burst of confidence, he strides over to the shop.

The familiar sound of a bell ringing echoes through the room, and he hears the florist call out as he stands in the empty room. It only takes a few minutes before the florist emerges from the backroom, but this time with the mean employee in tow. Yuuri gulps as the teen glares at him in recognition. This isn't how Yuuri wanted things to go.

"Oh!" the flower shop owner widens his eyes slightly in surprise. "You're back, was something wrong with the arrangement?"

Yuuri's response gets interrupted by the blonde teen speaking loudly. "Aiya Viktor, this is the weirdo I was talking about." So his name's Viktor.

"Oh?" Viktor turns to look at the boy, "What are you talking about Yuri?"

"He's the weirdo who came in without buying any flowers."  
"Huh?"

Yuuri widened his eyes, the boy's name can't be Yuri too. Before he can say anything further, Viktor lets out a snort, followed by a bout of giggles.

"Oh this is great!" Viktor laughed as he placed a hand on top of Yuri's head. "You're name is Yuuri too?"

"Y-yeah, with two u's." Yuuri desparately wanted the ground to swallow him whole. This was so embarrassing!

The other Yuri only spluttered angrily as he swung his arms around. "Viktor! Get serious here, this guy is a total weirdo, don't you remember what I told you? Kick him out already!" Yuuri can't even say anything to defend himself, too taken aback by how aggressive the teen is. 

Viktor only laughs more, ruffling Yuri's blonde hair. "Yuuri's not weird, he's _nice_. A lot nicer than the other customers we get, or did you forget about Wednesday's order?"

Yuri only huffed as Viktor turned his head to look at Yuuri. "Now what did you come here for? Please excuse Yuri, he's just grumpy."

Yuuri couldn't help but feel foolish, what kind of adult needs defending from a teenager? "Oh nothing, I changed my mind," he says dejectedly as he walks out the door.

Later that night Yuuri rubs his eyes in a weak attempt to stop the tears from flowing. He doesn't know why he expected different when he walked into the flower shop that day. Viktor probably thinks he's a total loser now, since he can't even stand up for himself. They probably laughed at him as soon as he left the shop. What he didn't see was Viktor's frown when he walked out the door.

*

A week passes since the last time Yuuri visited the flower shop, and Phichit is worried. He knows that Yuuri's always been more of a reserved person, but this past week he's been acting like a total recluse. Yuuri even ignored the oppurtunity to play with Peachy Queen. If Yuuri's to the point where he doesn't want to spend time with his favorite hamster, there must be something wrong.

Getting Yuuri to spit out what's bothering him is easier than he expects, and soon Phichit is stomping his way down to the flower shop. No one makes his (best) friend sad and gets away with it.

Phichit slams the door open, and stomps his way to the register, where a silver man, who he now knows is Viktor, just stands there, blinking in confusion. If he weren't so angry, Phichit would run back home and tell Yuuri he was exactly right when he said that the Viktor was pretty. He gets why Yuuri would be so flustered around this man, his eyelashes are _unreal_.

Shaking himself out from his reverie, Phichit gets straight to business. "Where's Yuri? I need to talk to him."

"Oh, how do you know Yuri?"

"There's no time for that, it's urgent." Phichit was on a mission.

Viktor only smiled, like he wasn't really taking this seriously. "Sorry, Yuri's at school, he comes here around 5. If you want I can tell him what you have to say, or you could wait 3 hours."

Darn, Phichit clenched his fist, he'll just talk to Viktor instead. "You're Viktor right? You own this shop?"

Viktor squinted his eyes in suspicion, posture now looking closed off as he crossed his arms in front of him. "Yes, but how do you know? This isn't another prank is it? I'm not afraid to call the police this time.

Momentarily taken aback by that piece of information, Phichit calmed down a bit, showing he meant no harm. "No, I just want to clear up some things for my friend."

Viktor relaxed, but still kept his arms crossed. After asking Phichit who his friend was, Phichit answered Yuuri. He only watched amused as Viktor visibly relaxed completely, looking ten times more friendlier than before.

"What do you need me to clarify? Did he need some arrangements? You can tell him our special is still going on, buy one get half off-"

"It's not flower related," Phichit interrupted the other man's rambling. "It's just that Yuuri's been feeling down on himself ever since he last visited your store. He thinks that you think poorly of him."

Viktor only blinked, looking more confused than ever. "Where did he get that idea?"

Phichit scoffs, "From your rude employee, haven't you ever given him lessons on how to be nice?"

Viktor at least has the decency to look sheepish as he rubs the back of his neck. "Heh, yeah I see what you're saying. Yuri is a... handful, but he's working on it. I'm sorry if he caused you trouble."

Deciding he bombarded the florist with enough questions, Phichit accepts the apology, but demands that Yuri gives an apology too. Viktor readily agrees, and sends Phichit home with a flower arrangement on the house.

Feeling accomplished, Phichit goes home, taking notice of the flowers Viktor chose for the arrangement. White violets and irises wrapped with delicate bows sat proudly in their vase, petals flowing gently from the wind. Phichit couldn't help but smile at their meanings, getting the feeling that maybe this florist is going to be really good for Yuuri.

_White Violets - Let's take a chance on happiness  
Iris - Your friendship means so much to me_

*

No matter how many times Phichit reassures and pushes him, Yuuri is not going to the flower shop. He's long since gotten over the incident from two weeks ago. He still has the card Yuri gave him, and he added the flowers to his growing collection of pressed flowers (which he always had and did _not_ start because of Viktor).

But that doesn't mean he's going to go. Yuuri doesn't want to test his luck, what if goofs up in front of the florist again? Yuuri can only hide under his blanket for so long.

Some way, somehow, Yuuri finds himself at the same cafe across the street again. Yuuri sips on his coffee, grimacing at the burnt taste (black coffee is the cheapest thing there). Pulling his woolen beanie down further on his head, he stares wistfully at the dainty flower shop in front of him. There's not too many people outside, mostly everyone taking shelter inside from the cold December wind. He must look like an idiot, being the only one sitting outside the cafe. Yuuri holds his warm cup of black sludge closer as he contemplates going to the flower shop. Despite how embarrassing the last few visits were, Yuuri has to admit that he wants to see Viktor again. Eventually his coffee turns cold, and he gladly tosses it. It's now or never, go home or visit the flower shop.

His feet speak for themselves, leading him to the familiar crosswalk. It's almost winter break, he should at least visit before going back home, Yuuri reasons, remembering the forced smile on Viktor's face when he talked about the lack of customers. It's only the right thing to do.

He looks around the shop, breathing in the familiar scent as he rubs his cold hands together. Like usual, no one's at the register, and he can hear Viktor call out from the room where he keeps the rest of the flowers. His breath catches in his throat when Viktor comes out. Apparently winter doesn't even phase the florist, Yuuri thinks as he drinks in the sight in front of him. He's wearing a simple v-neck sweater and skinny jeans so tight they look like leggings. He makes Yuuri look like an overdressed marshmallow, feeling self conscious as he tries not to fidget inside of his three layers of sweater and sweatpants.

"Yuuri!" Viktor greets as he takes his place behind the register. "How've you been? Did you need any flower arrangements made?"

Mustering up all the confidence he can, Yuuri tries not to stutter on his words. "Oh uh yeah, I need some plants." Smooth, Yuuri, smooth. "Before I go home for winter break."

"Oh? Break? I didn't know you were a student?"

"Yeah, I go to a university nearby," Yuuri responds, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"I see," Yuuri almost thinks he sees Viktor let out a sigh of relief. "Where's home for you?"

The two fall into a comfortable conversation after that, although Viktor almost fainted after finding out Yuuri was from Japan. They talk about superficial things, their age (turns out Viktor's 24), their favorite foods, he even finds out that the florist is a Christmas baby.

Eventually the topic of business comes up again, Viktor asking what kind of flower arrangement or plant Yuuri's looking for. Yuuri rummages through his mind for a suitable answer. "Something that'll stay alive for awhile I guess."

Yuuri ends up getting sent home with a cute little cactus, and Yuuri's heart feels warm despite the cold winter wind. He lets the cactus sit proudly on the kitchen counter, and promptly ignores any suggestive eyebrow wiggles and sniggering that comes from Phichit (he thankfully doesn't say 'I told you so'). When it comes time for winter break, Yuuri goes home feeling lighter than he had before.

_Cactus - Endurance_

*

Viktor knows that Yuuri's on break, but that doesn't stop the loneliness from seeping into the shop. Yuri's gone too, on vacation with his grandpa in Russia. He feels envious as he watches people bustle down the streets. He wants to have somewhere to go too. Somewhere that isn't the lonely room above the shop. 

Sighing as he switches the sign from open to closed, Viktor looks back to fonder memories, ones that keep him from selling the little flower shop.

_"Mom!" Viktor cries out as he runs into her arms._

_"What's wrong, Vitya?"_

_"The kids are making fun of me again! They said liking flowers is for sissies," Viktor hiccupped as he sobbed into his mother's chest._

_"Oh honey," his mother rubbed soothing circles on his back. "Don't listen to them, they don't know what they're saying. Anyone can like flowers, it'd be a shame if people didn't. You know why Vitya?"_

_"No," he said, rubbing his eyes._

_"It's because they're so beautiful, Vitya, to the point where they have their own language. Flowers can tell you so much without even saying a word. And you Vitya, you're my precious little forget me not."_

_"Momma what's a forget me not mean?"_

_His mother only smiled at him, brushing strands of hair away from his forehead. "You'll learn soon enough."_

Viktor only bothered to find out after his parents passed away. He was fresh out of high school then, and the grief from the loss of his parents kept him from ever going to college. With the help of a family friend, Mr. Plisetsky who was Yuri's grandfather, he took charge of running the flower shop that his mother held dear to her heart.

It was hard at first, he constantly felt like he was trespassing, like he didn't deserve to be here. But with time he grew into it, falling in love with all the flowers just as his mother had.

It didn't keep him from getting lonely though. Even with the weekly visits Mr. Plisetsky gives and Yuri's help after school, Viktor was still lonely. There were times where he seriously thought about getting a dog, if only because talking to his plants looked crazy. The more he thought about it, the more tempted he was, but even the mere thought of his dog eating all his flowers was enough to make him tear up a bit.

So Viktor stood dutifully behind the register every day, praying that the neighborhood rascals would decide that pranking the little flower shop wasn't as fun as they thought. He's getting tired of making beautiful flower arrangements just to find them smashed and trampled in front of his store the next day. With Yuri around, though, the pranks have been occuring less and less. It's the only reason why he's thankful for Yuri's overly aggressive nature (Viktor doesn't want angry parents to sue him for scolding their kids ok).

The day Viktor met Yuuri, he was sure he fell in love at first sight. He was just so cute, and the way he fumbled on his words around him made Viktor want to lock him up and keep him forever. Soon Viktor spent less time talking to his plants and more time daydreaming about Yuuri. Every time he stepped into the shop, Viktor had to dig his nails into his palm to keep from saying anything stupid. 

Overall, Viktor was smitten, but he was sure Yuuri didn't feel the same. Why would he? Viktor was a 24 (now 25) year old with no friends but a grandpa, a grumpy teenager, and his plants. Add that on top of the fact that he never went to college and doesn't really _do_ anything, he can understand if Yuuri finds him a bit pathetic. Oh well, Viktor sighs as he waters his plants, a man can dream.

Christmas is spent by his lonesome, and Viktor tries to ignore the nagging part of his mind that wants to add the word 'again' to the end of that sentence. Viktor keeps the shop open, because he knows there's always that one person who manages to screw up on Christmas day. It doesn't seem like it this year, Viktor thinks as he looks out to the gloomy sky. 

He decides to close early, and slowly makes his way upstairs to his lonely one bedroom apartment. Bringing out the small cake (Yuri's recommendation) he bought from the fridge, he inserts a candle and lights it. It's a sad image, Viktor thinks, but it's the only thing that keeps him from going insane. He blows out the candle as quickly as he lit it, as lonely as he is he isn't singing himself a happy birthday. He eats the cake while reading the card Yuri and his grandpa send him, telling him happy birthday and apologizing for not being able to celebrate with him

As Viktor goes to sleep that night, the only thing on his mind is how he really wants his wish to come true - his wish to stop being lonely.

_Forget me not's - True love, Memories_

*

Coming back from winter break, Yuuri feels refreshed and ready to kick this trimester's butt. It's a week into January, and he arrives in Detroit two days before classes start, just to give him a chance to get used to the jet lag he's already starting to feel.

He texts Phichit, who came back yesterday, to let him know that Yuuri's going to feed the hamsters. One by one, he drops food into each hamster's bowl, and smiles fondly when Tiny Tina runs on her wheel in appreciation. Yuuri goes to check up on his cactus when he's done, making sure his neighbor didn't accidentally kill it while he was gone. It looks healthy enough, it's not yellow or anything.

Worried about the health of his cactus, he puts on his giant pea coat, grabs his cactus, and makes his way to Viktor's flower shop (it's totally not an excuse to visit Viktor, not at all).

The bell rings brightly as he pushes the door open. Yuuri looks around the store, and pushes a glove covered hand over his mouth as he takes in the sight in front of him. Viktor's head is propped up on his arms, hair falling into his face as he snuffles lightly, causing Yuuri's heart to stop for a while. He didn't know it was possible to make snoring look _cute_.

As if he could tell someone was watching, Viktor blearily opens one eye, and scrambles up when he spots Yuuri standing in front of him.

"Yuuri!" Viktor rushes to fix his hair and rumpled shirt. Yuuri thinks it makes him look more human. "I'm guessing you're back from break?"

"Yup," Yuuri placed his cactus on the counter. "Can you check if my cactus is healthy please? I had someone take care of it over break but I just want to make sure.

"Of course!" he exclaims as he examines the cactus, "Looks perfectly fine to me." Yuuri sighs in relief.

"Thank you," Yuuri says as Viktor replies with a flippant 'anytime'.

"So how was it?" Viktor asks before a silence could settle between them. 

"Um what, my break?" Yuuri continues when Viktor nods his head. "It was great, I missed my family a lot. And coming home to my mom's cooking was nice too.

Viktor only smiled wistfully, and Yuuri felt like he messed up somehow. Now that he thought about it, the florist never mentioned anything about his family when he asked Yuuri what his plans for winter break were. He felt his heart tug painfully, he didn't even want to imagine that the cheerful florist had no family to go home to. Yuuri was about to ask him if he spent the Christmas holidays with his family, but was interrupted as Viktor chirped out a way too cheerful 'that's great!'.

"By the way," Viktor asked after his outburst. "Do you want a flower? I accidentally cut one extra, so I can't really use it anymore."

"Oh sure, I didn't bring my wallet with me though-"

"It's free," Viktor cut in, "as a welcome back present." 

Even though the gesture was innocent enough, Yuuri couldn't help the flush creeping up his neck. He nodded, and Viktor sped to the backroom, probably to retrieve the flower. He returns with what Viktor tells him is a red carnation, before Yuuri rushes home, suddenly remembering he forgot to close the hamsters' cages before he left.

Viktor just stares after the running figure, hiding his red face in his arms after realizing what he's just done.

_Red carnations - My heart aches for you; Admiration_

*

Phichit's been acting weirder than usual, Yuuri thinks as he reads his assigned reading. Ever since he came home with that red carnation, Phichit's eyebrows never looked the same again, always waggling in his direction every time he came near the boy. It was funny at first, but now Yuuri feels like he's missing out on some big joke.

Yuuri looks up at the time, and decides he's going to get to the bottom of this when Phichit comes home.

An hour later, a bundled up Phichit kicks the door open, shivering as he removes layer after layer of jackets and sweaters. He makes an even bigger marshmallow than Yuuri does.

Not wanting to lose focus, Yuuri fires off the question right away. "Why do you keep waggling your eyebrows at me? Am I missing something?"

At the question Phichit just moves his eyebrows even _more_ , causing Yuuri to groan at his friend's antics. "Don't you know Yuuri?"

"No, as much as I want to say I know, I don't."

Phichit jumps onto the couch next to Yuuri and looks up at him with an expression that clearly says Yuuri's an idiot. And ok, Yuuri can agree with that, but he at least wants to know why. Before he can get too worked up over it, Phichit speaks up again.

"Do you remember that red carnation you brought home a few days ago? Viktor gave it to you right?"

When Yuuri slowly nods his head yes, Phichit continues, "Did he ever tell you what it _means_?"

"No," Yuuri says slowly, "It's not anything bad is it?"

"Oh, _oh_ , it's nothing bad I can tell you that," Phichit looks like he's holding back laughter. "Quite the opposite actually."

"Phichit." Yuuri whines, "Just tell me."

"Viktor's totally in love with you!"

What. Yuuri's brain short circuits. There's no way on earth that Viktor would actually be in love with _him_. This has got to be a mistake, and he tells Phichit that, who only shakes his head with amusement.

"Red carnations symbolize admiration Yuuri, he's totally in love with you." Phichit grins triumphantly.

"But he said it was a leftover flower," Yuuri tries to reason. Phichit doesn't know what he's talking about. "He can't be in love with me, not when I lo-like him too!"

"Yuuri, I already knew you liked Viktor, I could see it from miles away," Phichit flicks Yuuri's forehead, looking at him with a smirk. "And Viktor's been a florist for about 5 years, he isn't going to make a mistake like that."

"Are you sure? I doubt he'd fall in love with me, there are better people out there."

"Yuuri," Phichit said as he shook Yuuri's shoulders, "Viktor. loves. you. You're a great guy, and it's time you start believing it."

For the rest of the night, Phichit tries to convince Yuuri to at least talk to the florist about their feelings. And each time Yuuri withdraws more and more into his shell. It's not like Yuuri was doing this on purpose, he genuinely did believe that there was nothing there besides some platonic feelings. But even Yuuri knew when enough was enough, giving in to Phichit's antics.

For the rest of the night, Yuuri and Phichit come up with a plan to prove that Viktor loves Yuuri just as much as Yuuri loves Viktor. (Phichit calls it his 'Make two idiots realize the other loves them too' plan, or MTIROLTT for short). 

*

For the next week, Yuuri stops by the flower shop after work at Phichit's insistence. He doesn't really buy anything, would go broke if he did, but he does stay for a few minutes just to talk. Surpisingly he's not as awkward as he expected, and Yuuri's confidence boosts every time he manages to make Viktor smile or laugh. Soon he doesn't even need Phichit to tell him to go to the flower shop, he ends up going on his own.

As February creeps its way in, Yuuri finds that he's been spending more and more time at the flower shop. At first he was self conscious about spending more than ten minutes at the shop, he didn't want to disrupt Viktor's work. Viktor reassures him, telling him he never gets that many customers anyway. Sometimes Yuuri wonders how Viktor learned to be so patient and kind, but he knows better than to ask. So Yuuri starts to stay longer, he thinks he even starts to slip his way into Yuri's good graces (a small miracle). Viktor even lets him help out a little, and soon Viktor's extensive flower knowledge starts seeping into Yuuri. Eventually most of his free time is spent there, even has some of his English books tucked away under the counter. Yuuri would mourn the loss of all the time with Peachy Queen (she's a cute hamster ok), but he guesses the time spent with Viktor makes up for it.

Yuuri only watches in amusement as Valentine's Day draws closer and closer. Its kind of funny seeing flustered men and women rush into the shop to pre-order flower arrangements for their significant others. It's even funnier watching Viktor get flustered over the suddently giant amount of orders to fill. To see the florist frantically move from order to order, snipping and tying as fast as his hands allow, bumps him from 'unattainable being' to 'normal human'. If Viktor were any other person, he'd feel bad, but knowing that they're both on the same level just makes Yuuri believe he has a chance.

In the end, when Yuri leaves for home and Viktor manages to almost cut his fingers off the minute he does, Yuuri offers his help. He's never seen Viktor look so grateful.

*

Two months pass, and Phichit urges Yuuri to initiate the final part of their plan. To confess his feelings to Viktor. Yuuri knows that what he feels for Viktor isn't infatuation anymore, knows that it's clearly something so much more. He also knows he's been holding off on making a move, each attempt to make one comes out as Yuuri asking for more flower facts. He's pretty sure he knows as much as Viktor now. Yuuri tells him that he's comfortable staying in the first stage, but Phichit just slams the front door in Yuuri's face. From behind the door Phichit yells that Yuuri's not allowed back unless he brings Viktor back as his boyfriend. Yuuri just sighs in exasperation as he walks over to the flower shop.

Yuuri's sipping on burnt coffee as he stares at the flower shop from across the street. After three months, this coffee tastes even worse than he remembers. He knows he can't go back to the apartment, Phichit can get scary serious when he puts his mind to it. So here he is, stuck at a mediocre cafe with a hot cup of burnt coffee.

Even if Yuuri was super confident, he would still have no idea how to tell Viktor how he felt. Should he hire a skywriter? People still do that right?

Hot coffee splashes on the table as someone kicks his back. Yuuri turns around to see Yuri standing over him. He shrinks back a bit in fear, even if he considers the boy a friend he still finds Yuri sort of intimidating.

"What are you doing here?" Yuri asks as he takes a seat next to Yuuri, "and what are you doing drinking this crap? StarDucks has better coffee than that burnt piss."

Yuuri spluttered, since when did Yuri learn such foul language? He was going to have to talk to Viktor about this later. "What if I happen to like this coffee."

"No you don't," ok, Yuri was getting straight to the point here, "and I saw you staring from across the street, do you always do that? It's fucking creepy."

Yuuri wishes he had his coffee right now, just so he can spit it out in shock. "W-what? Haha no, I was just appreciating the nice, um street in front of me, you know, street art."

Yuri only huffs, and exhales loudly from his nose. It's so cold that Yuuri can see cloudy wisps come out, not unlike the bulls depicted in cartoons. Yuuri thinks it's fitting. "So are you coming to the shop or what?" Yuri asks, "Viktor's been complaining about missing you _all_ day, he's starting to make _me_ miss you."

Yuuri feels complimented by that, but he really can't go, not until he figures out how to tell Viktor he likes him. He tells Yuri this, figuring he was going to learn eventually. To his surprise, Yuri only snorts, looking even more unimpressed.

"Tell me something I don't know, is that why you're sitting out here? Why can't you just tell him? I think the bastard will be happy with just that."

Yuuri can't believe this kid. How could he just speak so offhandedly about Viktor like that? Sure he's a little absent minded at times, and he can be a bit insensitive at times, but generally he's one of the kindest people Yuuri's met. He's always so eager to teach him about his work, and always so patient whenever Yuuri snips off too much of a plant, or when he forgets how to properly dethorn a rose. Yuuri wonders if Yuri even knows how lucky he is to have gotten to know Viktor, Yuuri knows that he does.

When Yuri just smirks at him, Yuuri thinks he might have accidentally said everything out loud.

"C'mon," Yuri says in a kinder tone as he stands up. "Follow me."

"Where are we going?" Is this how Yuuri's life is going to end. He didn't even get to say bye to Phichit or his hamsters.

"To get something the man actually understands. Flowers."

*

Yuuri stands awkwardly in the flower shop, clutching the mismatched bunch of flowers in his hands like a life line. He was worried that Viktor wouldn't like the arrangement, that he would think it was unprofessional, but Yuri only waved his hand, saying he cared more about the meaning anyways. 

He gulps as he hears Yuri tell Viktor to 'come out and stop sulking, Yuuri's here'. He can hear rapid footsteps as the back room door swings open, Viktor's grin evident as he yells out a cheerful 'Yuuri!'. His hands start shaking and palms start sweating as he sees Viktor look at the bouquet in his hands curiously. Words that Yuuri want to say bubble up and form a lump in his throat, leaving him opening and closing his mouth like an idiot.

"Yuuri? What are the flowers for?" Viktor's expression is patient, and Yuuri feels himself calm down enough to start speaking.

"Um, these are, these are for you," Yuuri holds out his arms to present the flowers to Viktor. 

He watches as Viktor gently pries the flowers from Yuuri's grip, and he hopes he didn't do too badly. Yuuri knows it's an awkward and odd bunch of flowers, but with help from Yuri, he chose a moss rosebud, red and yellow tulips, forget me nots (apparently Viktors favorite flower), and a single thornless rose. Now if only Viktor would say he loved it. Holding his breath in anticipation, he stands frozen as Viktor look through each individual flower. Yuuri breathes a bit easier when Viktor brings a hand up to his mouth to hide the grin threatening to spill from his face.

"So um," Yuuri says suddenly, causing Viktor to look up from the flowers and at him. If he looks closely Yuuri think he can see tears shining in his eyes. "I really like you Viktor, d-do you want to go out sometime?" Yuuri mentally curses at himself. That wasn't smooth at all.

He considers it a win though, when Viktor nods his head yes while letting out that tinkling laugh Yuuri's come to know and love.

_Moss rosebuds - Confessions of love_  
_Red tulips - Believe me; Declaration of love_  
_Yellow tulips - There's sunshine in your smile_  
_Thornless rose - Love at first sight_  
_Forget me not - True love; Memories_

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I feel like I'm bursting with ideas all of a sudden sorry y'all.
> 
> Also sorry if characterizations were off, I kind of went off the rails with this au :/
> 
>  
> 
> Come yell at my tumblr @kinkshamingonice


End file.
